FOCUS HEALTH & SAFETY
HOLD FIRE
As a facilities manager, you
may be responsible for food
preparation and a commercial
kitchen within your core on-site
facilities. Kitchens are notoriously
high risk environments for
accidents and incidents. Fire
industry and insurance data
reported by BAFE - the UK’s
independent register of quality fire
safety service providers - reveals
kitchen fires are statistically the
third most likely cause of large
fires behind hot works and arson.
Safety aspects for sta and visitors,
and the protection of property are
therefore key concerns that the
responsible person neglects at
their peril.
In the last year the media has
reported several large fires in
commercial buildings posing risk to
people, property and responding fire
fighters, bringing the responsibilities
of operators of all properties and
particularly those with higher
risk facilities, such as commercial
kitchens, into sharp focus. Kitchen fire
protection systems can help contain,
if not extinguish such fires.
IMPROVING SAFETY
The MOT test first introduced in
1960 under the direction of the then
Minister of Transport, Ernest Marples,
was initially greeted with some horror
at the implied expense involved.
Yet 60 years on the MOT has long
fallen into every day parlance as an
accepted necessity and its success
in increasing safety on our roads is
unquestioned. Why, one might ask,
has the same idea not been applied to
fire safety in buildings?
Now BAFE has put down the
challenge to us all, that in the case of
commercial kitchen fire protection
systems the MOT concept has another
life, and indeed could save even more
lives.
42 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2020
COMMERCIAL KITCHEN FIRE
PROTECTION SYSTEMS
Mitigating risk by installing and
suitably maintaining a kitchen fire
protection system is recommended
by fire and rescue services across the
UK. These systems protect premises
by automatically activating when a
fire is detected, helping to prevent
the spread of fire to other parts of the
building. Legislative responsibilities
demand competent companies
design, install, commission and
maintain all fire safety equipment
- including kitchen fire protection
systems.
Professionally approved fire safety
providers now have authority to issue
operators of buildings that house
commercial kitchens with NSI/BAFE
Certificates of Compliance much like
the well-recognised and accepted
‘MOT’, as evidence their kitchen fire
protection system is fit for purpose
at initial installation and correctly
maintained.
The Kitchen Fire Protection
Systems Scheme developed by BAFE
in response to the fire risks posed
is delivered by way of granting
Approvals to professional installers
regularly audited by NSI expert
auditors. NSI third party certification
provides assurance regarding the
quality of service and product
provided by these providers.
BAFE and NSI recommend those
responsible obtain confirmation their
provider is authorised to issue an NSI/
BAFE Certificate of Compliance for
any installation as evidence of their
competence in maintenance and
assessment of ongoing suitability of
equipment installed, including when
kitchen renovations impact use.
THE CUSTOMER PERSPECTIVE
How can the “Responsible Person”
or “Duty Holder” be confident that
installation and maintenance is
indeed in line with relevant standards
and demonstrate they are fulfilling
their rightful duty?
The answer in large part can be
addressed by the duty holder being
sensitive to the competence of
fire safety contractors who ideally
are third party certificated, that is,
hold a Certificate of Approval, for
each of the services they provide.
It is unwise to assume a contractor
competent to install and maintain fire
extinguishers is equally competent in
the maintenance of a fire detection
system, or a kitchen fire protection
system.
Using BAFE registered Fire Safety
organisations, it is now possible to
ensure that kitchen fire protection
systems are installed and ‘MOT’’ed
- and obtain an NSI/BAFE ‘MOT’
Certificate of Compliance from the
approved installer. The Certificate of
Compliance issued upon completion,
will give facilities managers, insurance
companies and other interested
parties confidence that work on
the specific installation has been
undertaken in a competent manner.
TOGETHER RAISING STANDARDS
The new NSI/BAFE approval scheme,
requires on-going regular audit of
contractors – continued monitoring
with regard to engineer training,
competency in practice, installation
design integrity, review of system
suitability as kitchen layouts are
adapted over time and maintenance
of installed systems.
NSI provides the independent audit
of approved installers including their
maintenance schedules and system
installations for both newly installed
and maintained systems.
It should be noted that the new
NSI/BAFE scheme for commercial
kitchen fire protection systems has
the broad support of insurers. They
are convinced fire risk to people
and property will be reduced as
the scheme becomes more widely
adopted. Check the terms of
your policy with your insurer at
installation.
NSI approved companies for Kitchen
Fire Protection Systems can be found
by searching the ‘Find A Company’
directory on the NSI website:
www.nsi.org.uk.
Richard Jenkins, Chief Executive of the National Security
Inspectorate (NSI) with news of the new ‘MOT’ approval
scheme for commercial kitchen fi re protection systems
/www.nsi.org.uk
